The conventional mailer forms used in the Moore Business Forms, Inc. Speedisealer.RTM. equipment, sold under the trademark Speedisealer.RTM., have proven to be very simple and efficient to use. Typically the forms are fed through a laser printer in sheet or continuous format with variable printing being applied to one side, or typically both sides, and then the forms are burst, the tractor guide portions are slit, and individual sheets are then folded and pressure sealed.
While the conventional forms in the Moore Speedisealer.RTM. pressure seal system have been very effective, there has been one substantial problem when utilized with certain types of printers, such as the IBM 3800 printers. When conventional mailer forms with pressure adhesive are utilized with the 3800 printer, the forms sometimes jump out of time, warp the fuser rolls of the printer, and cause other problems.
Upon close inspection of the cooperation between the IBM 3800 printers and the conventional pressure seal forms, the source of the problems discussed above has been identified. The IBM 3800 printer operates in such a way that it pauses at regular intervals. When the printer pauses, it has been found that an impression is created 1/4 inch on either side of the fold perforations between forms in the continuous web. Since there is adhesive in that impression area, the forms are caused to stick to the fuser roll and/or the backup roller. This then results in the forms jumping out of time, warping of the fuser rollers, etc., as described above.
According to the present invention, the problem described above has been solved in a simple yet effective manner. According to the present invention, the adhesive patterns on the form have been changed so that they do not interfere with the rollers of the printer used to process the mailers. That is, on both the front and back of the form, the adhesive patterns which are conventionally located 1/16 inch from the leading and trailing edges of the individual forms in the continuous web are repositioned so that they are 5/16 inch away from the leading and trailing edges. This repositioning does not adversely affect the action on the forms in the Moore Speedisealer.RTM. pressure seal equipment nor the integrity of the final mailers produced, yet allows the mailers to be processed without the problems discussed above.
According to one aspect of the present invention a method of forming a mailer type business form from a sheet of paper having first and second faces (and typically being a continuous web) using an IBM 3800 printer having fuser and backup rollers is provided. The method comprises the following steps: (a) Forming first and second longitudinal lines of weakness in the sheet parallel to and adjacent, but spaced from, the first and second longitudinal edges, respectively, the lines of weakness defining, with the longitudinal edges, longitudinal marginal portions. Forming first and second transverse fold lines in said sheet to form the first, second, and third sections. (c) Providing matching longitudinal patterns of pressure sensitive adhesive in the longitudinal marginal portions. (d) Providing transverse patterns of pressure sensitive adhesive (e.g., first, second, third and fourth transverse patterns of pressure sensitive adhesive on the sheet, the first and third on the first face, and the second and fourth on the second face), so that the first and third patterns and second and fourth patterns cooperate with each other when the sheet is folded about the fold lines, and so that none of the transverse adhesive patterns are engaged by the fuser and backer rollers during pausing of the printer. (e) Passing the sheet through the 3800 printer to effect printing thereof. (f) Folding the sheet about the fold lines so that all the corresponding patterns of adhesive cooperate with each other. And, (g) Applying pressure to the sheet at the adhesive strips to activate the pressure sensitive adhesive and seal the sheet into a mailer.
Typically the sheet is in continuous web format in which case there is the further step (h), between steps (e) and (f), of bursting the continuous web into individual sheets. The sheet also typically has tractor holes along the longitudinal edges thereof and step (e) is practiced by feeding the sheet through the printer using the tractor holes. There is also the further step (i), after step (e), of slitting the sheet adjacent the longitudinal edges to remove the tractor hole containing portions. Prefolding step (f) is preferably Z-folding.
The invention also relates to a mailer type business form. The form has the following elements: A folded paper sheet having first and second faces, first and second opposite longitudinal edges, and first and second transverse fold lines defining first, second and third sections of the sheet. First and second longitudinal lines of weakness forming with the longitudinal edges first and longitudinal marginal portions. A first transverse edge and a second transverse edge, both parallel to the first and second fold lines. Longitudinal patterns of adhesive disposed in the longitudinal marginal portions for holding the marginal portions of the first through third sections together. At least one of first and second transverse patterns of adhesive disposed adjacent at least one of the first and second transverse edges on the first face and first section, and second face and second section, respectively; and at least one of the the first and second transverse patterns of adhesive being spaced from its associated transverse edge a distance sufficient to insure that the adhesive does not interfere with rollers of a printer used to process the mailer. Preferably both the first and second transverse patterns of adhesive are provided, and are each spaced from the first and second transverse edges, respectively, about 5/16 inches, and the sheet is Z-folded. The first and second transverse patterns of adhesive are typically discontinuous strips, although other patterns may be provided.
The transverse adhesive patterns are typically pressure sensitive adhesive, and third and fourth transverse patterns are also provided for cooperating with the first and second patterns to hold the mailer together. The third pattern is formed on the first face, second section, adjacent the second transverse fold line, and the fourth pattern is formed on the second face, second section, adjacent the first transverse fold line.
It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a method of forming a mailer type business form including printing using an IBM 3800 printer without substantial operational difficulties, and to provide a mailer type business form that is simply and effectively produced. This and other objects of the invention will become clear from an inspection of the detailed description of the invention, and from the appended claims.